


A Haunting Encounter

by Jairephix



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ghost Hunting, Johann's a ghost whoops, Multi, julia lives, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 06:11:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20773847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jairephix/pseuds/Jairephix
Summary: When Magnus comes to Avi asking for help, it's up to the engineer and his girlfriend Ren to help him out. After all, he gets a chance to find out if the rumors of ghosts haunting the Siège Lunaire Theatre are true.





	A Haunting Encounter

"I'm pretty sure you just agreed to doing this because you like the way he flexes when he's showing off."

Avi sighed as he led them down the street to their goal. Ren loved to tease him about his crushes, and it wasn't like she was wrong. Magnus _did_ have some really nice muscles. "No, it's...it's not just that. It's...You've heard the stories about the theater, right?"

"I've lived in this town my whole life. At this point, it's better to ask who hasn't heard them."

The Siège Lunaire Theatre had sat in the center of their small town for over a century. Rumors were plentiful about how it was haunted by unknown souls from a tragic fire that had destroyed all but the basement of the original structure. The brick buildings on either side sported permanent soot marks, speaking to the truth of the tragedy, but as far as Avi had known, no one had actually seen anything that proved the rumors.

That is, until Magnus.

"Then," he continued, nudging her gently with his elbow, "you know it's also partially scientific respectability." Avi flipped over his thrift-store camcorder to check the battery compartment. Sure, the tech was over a decade out of date and pretty goddamn heavy compared to modern equipment, but that would mean it was far harder for the footage to be messed with. He hoped. Grated, it also meant that the picture wouldn't be great, but it was cheap and had a night-mode for recording. He was a broke college student, after all. He was lucky that mechanical engineering was a solid choice for a major at a trade school. He lived close enough to Ren's culinary school, a little over 2 miles away, that they could split on-campus housing costs, and he got to each her delicious cooking and experimental dishes.

If he was honest, it was a damn good deal.

"Uh-huh." Ren's soft laugh brought him out of his thoughts. Startled, Avi realized they were already at the theater's steps. "So, is 'scientific respectability' the reason you're telling yourself you're doing this?"

"Hush." He looked up with a smile, reaching out to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She leaned into his touch as he marveled over the fact that this gorgeous girl chose _him_ out of anyone. She was loving, kind, talked to him about things weighing on his mind, and teased him gently about his crushes while supporting his efforts at trying to find another partner who was okay with his polyamory. Hell, she'd even threatened some people who tried to make it into purely a kink thing. She was monogamous, _thank you very much, _and if they so much as tried to get her to make this into a threesome, she liked to grab the biggest, most intimidating chef's knife from her knife roll.

For a moment, they stood in the honeymooned bliss of dating that they still held after several years of being together, but pulled apart. It was going to be nightfall soon, and they wanted to get as much time before it got dark to review the place.

"Right, the back door is this way. We just need to have--"

"Already got them." She paused in following him for just a moment, to hold up a pair of small flashlights in one hand, before tucking them into her purse. "I've also got spare batteries in here, as well as wall chargers for anything we might need to charge on the side. Don't forget to mute your phone."

He nodded, taking a moment to do so now. Knowing Ren, she already had hers on mute. "Right. Good call. Brad's been trying to get me to come to his study group every day this week, claiming that my whole floor is doing it, and it'd be a great bonding exercise. I don't know how to tell him he's not my RA any more...and hasn't been...for over a year..."

"He just cares." Ren pulled out the cheap digital voice recorder, checking the buttons as Avi tucked his phone back into his back pocket. He shrugged at her words, not knowing how to respond as he pressed the power button on his camcorder. He heard the gentle "beep" as it came to life, just as he heard the small click that was the digital recorder in Ren's hands turning on.

"Oh. Uh. Ren, can you...?" He didn't need to finish his question, as she was already knocking on the side door to the theatre. After a moment, the door creaked open, and Magnus' face peeked between the frame and the door.

"Oh! You guys! You came! Cool. Quick, get in." He stepped aside, gesturing them in frantically. It was almost comedic how the larger man peeked out the door, glancing around, before shutting it. "Cap'nport doesn't know I'm letting anyone into the theatre tonight, and I don't want the neighbors to call and tell him anything weird is going on."

"Cap'nport?" Ren arched one fine eyebrow up, watching Magnus turn sheepish.

"Er. Davenport. The theatre manager. Everyone calls him 'Captain' because he says he likes to run a 'tight ship', so it just...kind of..."

"It just kind of...Cap'nport. I see." Avi was trying so hard not to laugh. It was Ren's way of teasing his friends, never meant to be cruel or malicious. She usually realized immediately when she messed up, but Magnus grinned, meaning he was okay with it. "So, Magnus. Tell us, what kind of activity have you been experiencing here? Any projects or renovations that might have stirred something up?"

For as much as she teased others for their supernatural beliefs, Avi knew it was because of her own love for paranormal shows. He had caught her binge-watching both some really great shows and some utterly terrible ones as she crammed for her exams at early morning hours. She'd always spook the living daylights out of herself, then demand that he come join her and cuddle closer as he chose something cute for them to watch until they passed out, waking up with stiff necks and backs, panicking about how late to class they both were.

It wasn't surprising to him in the least how she launched right into an investigation, asking these questions at the start. It was also smart, meaning she could keep an eye out for anything dangerous construction-wise they should avoid. The carpenter's apprentice, however, seemed thrown off-balance by her straightforward manner.

"I. Uh. Okay. Right at it, then. Um. We're always building projects here, that's not really something I would think would cause this?" He shuffled his feet. "So, we've been doing set work for the theatre's next performance. Mr. Waxmen says it's good for practicing the basics between the more intense and detailed stuff we do, and I mean, I like building things and helping people out. Um." He looked around, peering around the backstage area. The slim hallway they stood in seemed even more cramped than it would be usually, half-finished projects and carefully set out costumes hung on racks, ready for adjustments for each actor, lined each side. "So, I was here late last week, working on the framework for the scenery, when I started hearing someone playing music. Not...not here, here. Not in the hallway. I'm pretty sure the costume designer would kill me. I was in the bigger area behind the stage, where the ropes and lights are. And I thought, oh. Maybe Julia came in to drop off a custom fixture, or her dad, that's Mr. Waxmen, maybe they came in and were playing some really nice classical music on a stereo. Her...her mom used to love it, I guess, so it makes them all nostalgic."

Magnus scratched the back of his neck idly, almost nervous as he glanced down the corridor again. "C'mon, let me show you where this was." Avi nodded, letting Ren lead the way forward. To their surprise, the larger man led them to the stage, where the lights were set down low, just enough to illuminate the area. Even with them turned down this low, the heat from the bulbs with the early fall temperatures being higher than usual meant they were starting to sweat after just minutes. How did actors handle full stage lights like this? How intense must the heat from the spotlight be?

"Did you think it was her? Mrs. Waxmen?"

"I mean, I won't lie. When I called out for Jules and her dad, and neither of them answered, yeah. For a second, I thought so. But then..." Magnus swallowed heavily as he glanced around, almost like he was looking out for someone who was ready to scare him by jumping out of somewhere. Maybe he was. "Then I got to the doors down there." He pointed down the main aisle, towards the doors that lead to the foyer and concessions stand. "I went the long way round, in case I was covered in sawdust, because the stage manager tends to get fussy about people tracking things onto the stage and needing it cleaned again. So I was looking up here, thinking maybe they were working near the stage or down in the orchestra pit, and maybe playing a prank. Then...then I saw him."

Avi couldn't help but listen in rapt attention. He hadn't heard of anyone close to him having any sort of ghostly encounter before, even though the town was old and most of the original buildings still stood in the center, all protected by the town's historic commission. Many of the buildings had weatherproofed painted wooden plaques on the front, declaring the date of construction and original owners. The bigger buildings, like the theatre, had detailed signs that outlined the original history. Despite hearing a brief version of the story when Magnus had asked for his help, it was very different listening to the summary than it was to stand where the story happened and hear it in detail.

"What did this figure look like?"

"Hmm. He was dressed all...old-timey? And fancy? Not like 1880s, like everyone says, I know what that looks like with the productions that get put on here, but...I dunno, almost older? Uh. Kinda elfy? Not...not like you, or the twins." Ren blinked in surprise as the human shrugged again. "Lup and Taako are friends of mine, have been for ages. No, it's...this guy was like...I dunno. He just seemed so...sad. He played really nicely, though."

"Played?" She prompted, encouraging him to explain.

"Yeah. He had a violin. I started clapping when he was done, thinking he was one of the musicians from the orchestra who came to practice for a period production, and he looked...surprised, like he wasn't expecting anyone to be around, then he vanished."

"Interesting...he was surprised to see you."

Magnus did his best impression of an eager dog as he nodded. "Yeah! Can...can ghosts _be _surprised?"

Ren grinned. Avi knew that look. She was about to lay out some knowledge people didn't know she had. Curse her adorable adoration for all things spooky. She researched this stuff when she thought he wasn't paying attention, as if he'd tease her. He'd never. It was admirable how much she loved it. "It's believed that some instances of hauntings are possibly 'time slips'; that is, we might be seeing glimpses into the past and believing them to be ghosts. Sometimes we do have records of matching experiences when finding a journal from a person in the past, who records their own experience. This is more common when sightings of an apparition include the apparition itself being surprised it can see you. But, of course, seeing as we haven't had any solid true scientific study into whether or not ghosts are a phenomenon that can actually occur, we can't say anything for certain."

"Well," Magnus said after a long moment, "This phenomenon looked damn real enough to me. I thought he was a real person standing there in a costume up until he vanished."

Ren's eyes lit up. "Wait, you're saying he didn't look spectral?" She took a deep breath to bring her voice back under control before continuing on. "No fading, you could make out a whole figure, clear details and features? Are you certain you weren't tired or under the influence of any mind-altering substances?"

Magnus frowned. "Yeah, that's what I said. I know people think I'm an idiot or that I'm going to do stupid stuff to be macho just because I'm a big muscular guy, but I also know a lot of things. I'm not stupid. I can do the calculations to make a delicate scrollwork trellis that holds _my _weight. I know what I saw."

"I know, Magnus." Avi spoke up, trying to soothe the man's wounded pride. "I know you, like Taako and Lup, got that full-ride scholarship to that insanely impressive institute. That's a hard place to get into, and just the fact that all three of you turned it down..."

He shrugged. "My heart wasn't into what they were offering. It would have taken me too far from my job, and Jules, and Mr. Waxmen. I like it here."

"_Anyway." _Ren gestured widely, trying to turn the topic away from her accidental slight and trying to keep her excitement from overwhelming her, "You saw this figure performing on the stage here?" She pointed to a forward leading X laid in spike tape. Avi glanced around, noticing the gaffer's tape dotting the entire stage in Ls and Ts.

Magnus nodded. "Yeah, thereabouts. Main spotlight, down-center stage. Like he was doing a dress rehearsal for a solo performance."

The dark elf grinned widely, unable to keep her excitement under control any longer. "Right! Magnus, we'll be happy to do this investigation. We'll need you to leave the premises, at least until we're done. Meet us at the back door around 3 AM?"

He nodded again, slipping out the back with a promise to lock them inside.

This was going to be an interesting night.

\---------------------------------------------

It was 2:50 AM. Just another 10 minutes to go before walking back to the apartment, then crashing until sometime around early afternoon.

Avi fought back a yawn, failing in his battle as its twin ripped through him and out his throat. He stumbled as he made his way through the foyer and the grand double-doors to find a seat in the back row of the main floor's audience seating. He had been up far too early this morning, with his 8 AM class. Why did anyone let college students who were sleep-deprived play with dangerous tools that early? Still, his teachers had never had any serious injuries, so they had to be doing something right. It just meant that at the moment? He was exhausted.

Ren had suggested he come here with the digital voice recorder to ask questions while she ran some experiments way down in the basement of the building. He didn't know what he was doing here, not really. Sure, he had watched a lot of those paranormal shows alongside Ren, but...maybe it was the exhaustion hitting him that made him feel too sleepy to really care at the moment.

He hit record as he dropped into a seat, frowning as the tiny LCD screen refused to light up. "Aw, c'mon with this--"

The first few haunting notes of a violin shimmered through the air. As the hair rose on the back of his neck, a deep shiver shot down his spine. Slowly, Avi looked up at the stage, where not even the house lights were shining anymore. Magnus had turned those off when he left.

Right where it had been described before, stood a handsome man with a morose expression, dressed in some older clothing that Avi couldn't pin-pint the period of. His eyes were closed beneath a feathered cap, and the violin was a rich brown-red in his hands. The bow rocked over the strings, pulling up a sad, melancholy tune. He could almost cry.

A few moments into it, Avi realized what was happening. How could he tell the color of the violin's wood in _the dark?! _He scrambled, slamming the record button over and over on the voice recorder to no effect. Fine, his phone then, that had to work, right? He dug into his back pocket, pulling out his phone. Despite it having a decently full battery and having just checked it for the time before walking into the room, the screen was black and unresponsive, as if the whole battery had been drained in those few moments.

"Fuck," he muttered, not even thinking about it as he tried to make either device work. The strings stopped singing, pulling his attention up.

For a split second, their eyes met, and a deep sense of sorrow and loss washed over Avi, like there was some painful truth he knew in the core of him but couldn't name.

And then the figure was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Man, it's been a while since I did anything in theatre. Does it show? All the knowledge about that, ghost hunting, and historic preservation actually come from real life knowledge! And yes, usually it's the historic commission that does preservation projects, not the historic society. Turns out, those are two different groups! My girlfriend (Taraharkon) is on our town historic commission so I get to hear rambling about it a lot. lol
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this new OT3 helltrain fic! It's been stewing for a while, and for the first time in months, I got the drive to actually...you know...finish chapter one. Whoops.
> 
> Comments drive my confidence! VALIDATE ME (lol)


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